Liza Mundy

Liza Mundy is a journalist and author of four books, most recently "Code Girls." She is a former staff writer for the Washington Post, where she specialized in long-form narrative writing, and her work won a number of awards. Her 2012 book, "The Richer Sex," was named one of the top non-fiction books of 2012 by the Washington Post, and a noteworthy book by the New York Times Book Review. Her 2008 book, "Michelle," a biography of First Lady Michelle Obama, was a New York Times best-seller and has been translated into 16 languages. Her 2007 book, "Everything Conceivable," received the 2008 Science in Society Award from the National Association of Science Writers as the best book on a science topic written for a general audience.

She writes widely for publications including The Atlantic, Politico, The New York Times, Slate and Time. She has appeared on The Colbert Report, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, MSNBC, CNN, C-Span, Fox News, Democracy Now, Bloggingheads TV, the Leonard Lopate Show, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, the Diane Rehm Show, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, On Point and other television and radio shows.

A senior fellow at New America, a non-partisan think tank, Liza has an AB from Princeton University and an MA in English literature from the University of Virginia. She lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband and two children, just about a mile from Arlington Hall, where the Army code-breaking women worked, and about four miles from the Naval Annex. At various points in her career she has worked full-time, part-time, all-night, at home, in the office, remotely, in person, on trains, in the car, alone, with other people, in dangerous places, under duress and while simultaneously making dinner.

In the tradition of Hidden Figures and The Girls of Atomic City, Code Girls is the astonishing, untold story of the young American women who cracked key Axis codes, helping to secure Allied victory and revolutionizing the field of cryptanalysis. Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.More/less

Analyzing a growing trend in higher-earning working women, an anecdotal report predicts that more households will be supported by women within a generation, sharing stories about families already headed by women and how the dynamic will impact relationships.